Regulator for steam and other engines



JOHN A. BURNAP, OF ALBANY, NEV YORK.

REGULATOR FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,384, dated October 16, 1860.

To all whom 'it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN A. BURNAP, of Albany, in the county of Albanyand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Apparatus to beApplied to Governors for Regulating Water or Steam Power.

It is simple in construction and regulates the least variation in speed,and possesses advantages over other contrivances for a similar purposewhich will be herein clearly and distinctly specified.

The nature of my invention is as follows: A stationary segment rackprovided with fine teeth on its upper surface, is secured to a suitableframe. A pendulous lever with a cross piece on its lower end having twostuds, one on each side on which pawls play freely, is suspended on astud which slides in a guide secured to the frame, for the purpose ofkeeping it a proper distance to allow the pawls to work on the rack. Ahorizontal shaft provided with a pulley and revolving in bearingssecured to the frame has a bevel wheel on one end which meshes into acorresponding wheel which drives the governor spindle. The other end isprovided with a crank or eccentric which works in a slot formed in theupper end of the pendulous lever and as it turns freely on a stud in theguide a reciprocating motion is imparted to it at both ends. A bar issuspended on a stud secured on the outside of the frame and is providedwith a plate or guard on its lower end made with the same curve andmoving freely over the segment rack. This swinging bar is connected withthe governor by means of a rod secured to a crank on one end of acounter shaft, the other end of which is provided with a crank whichconnects with a rod to the sliding sleeve on the governor spindle in theusual manner.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Power being applied to thepulley on the shaft the governor is made to revolve, and as the speedincreases the balls expand, thereby acting on the swinging rod by meansof the crank, counter shaft, etc., and moving the plate or guard towardone end of the segment rack. One of the pawls on the lower end of thependulous lever then drops into gear and the motion given to it by thecrank or eccentric causes it to work into each tooth in succession onthe segment rack, thereby moving the pendulous lever to one side andclosing the gate or valve, connected by means of a rod to the stud in onthe other side to catch into the rack and work the pendulous lever backto its original position, thus opening the gate or valve.

By my arrangement all the strain is taken off the governor, its onlywork being to move the plate or guard over the stationaryv rack; and bythe use of a friction jointed arm connecting said plate or guard to thegovernor its relative position may be changed even when in motion, tosuit the will of the engineer; it has been tested and applied to steamand water power and has produced satisfactory results.

The arrangement applied to steam engines differs in some respects fromthe one above specified; it consists of a straight rack secured to aframe and provided with a groove or channel on one side to receive astud fixed on an arm to which are secured two pawls, the other end beingapplied to a lever which works the cut off rods, and provided with anelongated slot affording sufficient play to prevent a too sudden checkor cut olf of steam and thereby producing a more uniform motion.

Having thus set forth the novelty of my invention and to enable othersskilled in the art to make and use the same, I will now proceed todescribe it and certify that the accompanying drawings are a full andcorrect representation of the same, like letters corresponding to likepart-s.

Figure l represents a side elevation of the regulator as applied to awater wheel gate. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same with the top platein section. Fig. 3 is a back view. Fig. 4: is a vert-ical section. Fig.5 is an en. larged view of the upper end of the pendulous lever. Fig. 6represents the regulator as applied to a. steam engine, the red dottedlines indicating the position to which the v on which the pendulouslever C is suspend ed, the upper end being formed with a slot to receivethe crank or eccentric on the shaft H (represented enlarged at F ig. 5)71, h are bearings in which it revolves. I is a wheel secured on one endand meshing into wheel J on the governor spindle K (both of which wheelsare beveled).

L L are the arms and M M the balls; N

vthe vsliding sleeve.

O is a swinging bar and plate or guard suspended from a stud in theframe A (and represented clearly at F ig. 3). P is a crank lever`connected to it by the rod (p), the other end being fitted to counterlshaft Q attached to the frame and provided with a crank on the otherend connecting the sleeve N by the rod R.

S is a rod connecting pendulous lever C with the gate of a water wheel.

When the pulley on the shaft H is put in rapid motion the balls M Mexpand, raising the sleeve N, rod R and moving the crank lever P andswing bar and plate or guard O to one side; the pawl E then catches inthe teeth (b) on the segment rack B, thereby holding the lower end ofthe pendulous lever P rmly and imparting its motion to the rod S towhich the gate is connected and closing the same. But when the speed isdiminished by eXtra machinery being thrown into gear the depression ofthe balls acting on the counter shaft and cranks forces the swinging barand plate or guard O in the opposite direction, thereby opening the gateby the rod S.

In the regulator applied to a steam engine as shown in Fig. 6, A is therock shaft frame to which is secured the/straight rack B provided withline teeth (b) on'its upper side and having a groove or channel cut inone side to receive a stud fixed on an elbow on one end of a bar C whichcarries two pawls E and F playing freely 0n a stud. The other end isconnected to a Ylever G which moves on a crank D on the rock shaft Hworked by an eccentric. The stud which secures the lever G plays freelythrough the upper end of crank D and connects with rods S S which workthe cut oft'.

I claim- 1. -The movable pendulous lever or ratchet arm C working on aiXed rack B, said lever being constructed and operating substantially asand for the purpose specified.

2. The friction jointed arm P for adjusting the relative position of theguard O, substantially as set forth.

v' JOHN A. BURNAP.

Witnesses: .v

J No. H. PARSONS, T. M. HAoKn'rT.

